Cullen and I are both teachers. I feel that this makes picking names that much more difficult than it already is. So many names bring up memories/negative feelings of certain students we have had. It also means that we see what a popular name means for a student. Having two students named 'Noah' or 'Sophia' means always having a last initial tacked onto the name. Don't get me wrong, there are many popular names that I really like, but I just didn't like having 3 students in my class with the same name. When picking names (for both pregnancies), we had a few "qualifications".
1. Doesn't conjure up bad memories of any students. We never had a Doren or Keeva in class, so check!
2. Is not a popular name. This could mean different things to different people, but we didn't want it to be in the top 100 names. Doren and Keeva are not in the top 100 or 1000 for that matter, so check!
3. Is unique. This goes along with number 2, but I feel that they are different. Just because it's not on the top 100 names list doesn't mean it's unique. We wanted something people have never heard or rarely hear. At the same time, we didn't want something TOO crazy. I feel we accomplished that. I guess some could disagree and think they are crazy names, but I'm going to say check!
3. Is easy to pronounce when reading it. Again, I think we accomplished this. I haven't heard anyone mispronounce either Doren or Keeva when reading it, so check!
4. Is easy to spell when hearing it. I realize there could be different ways to spell Doren and Keeva, but I think the spellings make sense. Mostly check on this!
5. Has a good meaning. Doren means 'gift'. I love it. He is definitely a gift from God! Keeva means 'beautiful, gentle, precious'. I pray that God makes her heart gentle, precious, and beautiful to everyone she is around. Check for the good meanings!
Having this list REALLY narrows down the names that Cullen and I would even consider using. After we found out I was pregnant (both times), we got on the internet and searched. and searched. and searched. We looked at all sorts of baby name websites and wrote down any names that popped out that met our "qualifications". Honestly once we found the names Doren and Keeva, they were easy to pick. Cullen and I both liked them, and they felt right. I don't know if we will have any more kids, but I have a feeling picking the name will be near impossible!
*I feel like I need to add this little bit about middle names. We don't have the same list of qualifications for middle names. Middle names will be family names. Doren's middle name is Wayne which is Cullen's middle name. Keeva doesn't have a middle name which is a girl tradition in my family. My mom didn't have a middle name until she got married when Martin became hers. I didn't have one until I got married when Knox became my middle name. If Keeva chooses to get married, Lange will become hers.*
Beth, I went back and reread your blog about Miles' name and realized we have almost the same criteria for names. That's so funny! I guess now I do kind of remember that when I first read it. Great minds think alike!
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